Should Memories be ‘Forgotten’?
or ‘Remembered’?
- it seems our brain even goes out of its way to cause us to FORGET
unnecessary, everyday information, (during REM sleep cycles, and all)
but if “we don’t live forever,” or the “moments don’t last forever,” so do we really need to remember them?
I don’t see why anyone in general, and people with Alzheimer’s can’t forget, and then demonstrate a new excitement for life.
a new curiosity like before.
Or simply forget about different things.. and traumas… and start a fresh, clean slate. Why is there this reach to “make memories,” and why do people with Alzheimer’s become fearful instead of curious or excited? Why is there this level of UN-TRUST, instead of innocence and gullibility? Belief?
What’s the point of making memories themselves? Why can’t we just have fun? and then have more fun? 😂
Sorry if I didn’t get it, or missed something. So tell me what you think about memories.
(All images and clips sourced from Google)
What Girls & Guys Said
Opinion
0Opinion
I’m not understanding this at all. Alzheimer’s is all about losing memories of the present, the clip you posted was a woman forgetting the layout of her own house and soiling herself because she couldn’t find her own bathroom. We desire happy memories because it’s something that gives us hope, people with Alzheimer’s lose awareness of the world around them and that causes more dangers than people realize because their curiosity can turn into them getting lost in the woods outside their home — a friend of mine had that happen to their grandfather, he was missing for two days before they found him in a deer blind about a half a mile from his house. None of this question makes any sense to me.
I’m sorry it offended you possibly.
Like why is it a bad thing if she peed on herself?
Why do people feel bad for forgetting names or scared about not recognizing or “knowing someone.”
You realize no one judges them. Well no good person does.
If you look at a toddle or baby, when they explore they don’t know where they are… they’re not sad or scared or feeling shame.
They call this regressing back in to child like state.
Forgetting self hygiene forgetting skills, forgetting to write their name, forgetting bodily functions or losing control of such, and only adults with this who lose memory seem to have an UNDERSTANDING or connection to guilt and shame and such.
When those emotions are only present in youth and children and such up until a certain and specific age.
Learning about morals and also being OLD enough to understand when they’ve caused harm to someone else or they’re old enough to understand correction.
So why will a person forgetting things either stage one Alzheimer’s or final stage feel bad about forgetting or the in between?
Why would there be no excitement even if they no longer feel bad?
They should almost have a sense of reintroduction with the world and being childlike again.
Not just in independence but emotion and cognition- but this isn’t the case
And Alzheimer’s is an example of LONG TERM memory loss
Yet even with short term memory loss
People feel bad when they forget other things about certain people and such.
I can understand frustration about not finding tools when you need it like car keys or things of value like a wallet
BUT
Why again would we put so much negative emotion on forgetfulness.
This is what I’m getting at
Whether short term or long term why is forgetfulness
This BAD thing.
Why is it never good or viewed as good by those who undergo it?
As for making memories in general people put this importance on it like yeah let’s have a trip and make memories.
Why not just have a trip and have fun?
If we don’t live forever POSSIBLY or stay here at least forever
Why do we have to or want to remember things from here we can’t take with us wherever we may go?
Not only so but if we know we forget many things like stuff in childhood and trips far back
Why do we wish to still make memories or make new ones?
Why not just enjoy sensations and people. Why is photo albums or mementos important?
I don't know if that last part is debatable. They are indeed special. I can kind of see the why they are cherished and such
But for the memory loss-
I don’t understand why that’s always negative.
Two different things under the same umbrella and I combined and shared a confusion.
And an incentive to be more positive about memory loss or just reassuring and not blaming, scrutinizing, or anything like so, and also I suppose in the meanwhile, researchers go on to look for cures and treatments to prevent such things.
I just wanted more positivity and I wonder why people seek making memories with others instead of just enjoying. Not being obsessed with the picture taking but just embracing and basking within it. Being
IN THE MOMENT.
Living moment to moment.
Instead of trying to remain attached to a gazillion things and then being sad when you miss it or sad when you forget or have forgotten it.
🤷♀️ That’s all. That’s all I was saying/ getting at.
Apologies again for any offense to you or others.
Maybe we feel the need to have memories for a sense of direction and self and maybe even control.
Not having memory is probably like being some nomad.
No friends no map 🗺️ blue prints of guidelines.
I don’t mean to be harsh but I hope and I feel like just based on my mindset or just attitude towards forgetfulness I’d be fine being that nomad as long as I was cared for otherwise my survival may just go down.
Like if I forget the dangers of ovens or wild animals.
That’s all, but I’d at least and hope I’d be happy or OKAY with this.
Not feeling doomed or trapped.
Being myself regardless of what I remember or not.
Enjoyment through and through.
Why is our past also a sense of self? Why can’t we forget older versions and just be us?
Aren’t we that powerful? That nothing defines us? We’re just always us and we do what we do?
I don't know I apologize but I also wish to feel empowered if I ever experienced it and also to enjoy life.
I used to be very sentimental and I find myself throwing things out because I don’t want to be tied down.
I’d rather enjoy life and see new faces and smile
Not interpret them as a threat
Or not feel like I’m myself.
I don’t want to be scared of the sun if I forgot what that was!
🤷♀️ I don't know if I made any sense in sharing my wonderings and perspectives, but I DO apologize for the offense you gathered from my post and the confusion
The "negative emotions" associated with forgetting is fear.
People with Alzheimer's who don't understand what's going on are afraid because they don't understand. They had an awareness that is suddenly gone for seemingly no reason. They forget their children's names and faces. The fear of the unknown is a powerful fear, and it's often the burden of their loved ones to help them to not be afraid when they see so many things they don't know or understand and get confused as they try to find an explanation as to why these people are suddenly in their house, or why there's shit in their underwear they don't remember doing. It's not that you've offended me, it's that you lack a good deal of understanding about this illness. I'm glad you have such a positive association with amnesia, but I think you forget what it was like to not know and how scary it was to be faced with new things as a kid, that fear carries on into adulthood.
Well if there’s a mental age for it then I don't know what age people with Alzheimer’s have
And listen now I’m offended because of saying I lack understanding on this.
This is why I made the question.
I don’t mind lacking it
But this is also something you lack understanding in and everyone on the planet as there isn’t a cure. Yet.
So we have yet to learn and know about many things in health and everyone’s PERCEPTIONS on having this. It could be truly different for each as each individual is different and so are kids.
Simple basics and such, but still varied.
I know also that Alzheimer’s can also have people acting as before they “received salvation and living religiously.” And instead acting as when they were unaware of religion or “salvation.”
I witnessed this in an old lady who had Alzheimer’s and her daughter took care of her.
She even cussed her daughter out and had a fighting attitude.
Yet some remember “god” or whoever they believed
Or grew up in a positive environment and act positively- well more specifically POLITELY.
Aggression
Politeness
Fear shame
Why not Curiosity? Why not enjoyment?
If you can give me the cure for that illness then I can hear what you have to say
But you only know what you’ve seen and I know what I’ve seen
And maybe you know a tad more of what you read and OTHERS have seen with better tools and info on that area of the body and about humans as a species and etc.
But to say I lack something when I posed a question and you saying you’re confused?
Yes I had my confusion too-
That’s why I made the question
I elaborated my train of thought
And I still remain the same as to why they can’t be positive.
I can read up more on it?
But I can’t sit here and accept someone saying
Oh yeah you lack something
And that’s why I didn’t -
That’s why I had such a hard time understanding you-
No I’ll clarify you didn’t understand me because of your lack
Your lack of ability to understand my perspective or try to
Or ask questions to get more on it-
How you stated oh I’m confused
Derp
Encouraged me to explain more and apologize.
But this is a question site
We have to have a knowledge people will come here seeking answers and perspectives from others I don't know 🤷♀️
I’m not sorry for that much.
Sorry for the lack of confusion as I reread and neglected adding punctuation all over it.
I just meant you can’t just say
“I don’t get you.”
And say something like
“You lack something.”
When this whole thing and this whole site is about knowledge. That’s the plainest thing anyone can lack on here. You’ve said nothing new or creative. We come lacking in different angles/ topics, and we share on different topics. For others to read. To help others. To advise others.
I can understand you meaning well if you had said something like I didn’t understand and can you explain or now I see what YOU meant. But you just said
I’m confused oh and the reason being something about you.
We have different perspectives on this 🤷♀️ different observations.
Maybe you can say “ blah blah/ xyz- oh you lack, but so does everyone, so that’s fair.” Or “we lack.” Collectively.
You’re not exempt from this, nor do you know more, even if you knew a person or it affected you more emotionally. Emotions of relatives and friends give no clear/ precise answers, neither on solutions, nor providing reasons for why. 🤷♀️
This was my last attempt to explain and elaborate on my original thoughts. 👍
Yes, and I think your observations lack a great deal of information. I’m glad you think yourself so fearless, that would not be the case should ever be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s syndrome, a disease where your brain deteriorates before you’re dead. The fear of the unknown and the lack of control over your own body would drive you to insanity, hence why the woman in that movie clip worked so hard to make sure she killed herself before the disease progressed too far to the point she had to carry her laptop with her in order to make sure she was doing it correctly. She knew it would turn her into something she never wanted to be, assuming you’ve seen the movie.
You can be offended as much as you like, but there’s a reason no one else has answered your question aside from myself.
Okay so essentially you’re saying you know everything about Alzheimer’s and you also know why every single person ever to come across gag hasn’t given their two cents on my question and you furthermore think it’s the same reason.
Well, what my that reason be?
Is there really any correlation with my question and any other?
Feel free to answer or leave it.
I had nothing further to say when you came out in that way acting like you know more about this disease and everything about it when you don’t. I know this much.
And at least you and I are different I have a willingness to learn in actuality and if I don’t understand something then I ask for clarification I don’t just make blank:
“I’m confused.” Statements.
You must not be used to actually discussing with others or asking them to explain something they talked about. 🤷♀️
You assume you know more and expect others to just explain themselves to you. 🤷♀️
Well I did. I explained and I gave the appropriate regards to anyone who had some direct experience with this illness.
Even if I’m in some minority here as well? I could absolutely care less.
I questioned a real problem concerning this illness and simply think more efforts should be made to understand IT, understand them, and look for a way to turn it out for a more positive outcome even if the end result is passing.
And to clarify- I haven’t seen the movie I had just seen that clip when I was younger. The clip was saddening enough where I didn’t think I’d enjoy seeing a whole movie of a slow torturous death of a person’s life as they knew it and then eventually themself.
Might*
And to add I don’t even care that you’re the only one who answered because you have nothing worth contributing. You didn’t brainstorm anything or list any type of facts.
Just kind of explained how you had a brain buffering moment and then got all accusatory or diagnosing my understanding of something when that isn’t even the actual point of this site.
If you want to become some type of teacher on this or in general- go ahead. 🤷♀️
But you’re DEFINITELY not that in this moment and I’m willing to mirror your actions and say that essentially.
You lack understanding too. Period.
If I need to bring this up with others who will be respectful and contribute towards the discussion then I’ll do so. Plain and simple.
I already asked three people and they agreed you were in the wrong. They mentioned I could’ve condensed the question itself and the other mentioned how the disease IS crappy.
I get that. But I’m still not going to make an excuse for negativity within it and leave things there.
Humans evolve. We find cures and we seek understanding and that’s also what I’ve done, have been doing, and still doing and will do.
🤷♀️
I honestly don’t think I have any takeaways from your comment.
You have the option to delete it but I won’t select it as helpful. 🤷♀️
There isn't an option to delete comments. Only anonymize them. You can't delete your own questions or comments, but you can certainly mark mine as "I don't want to see it" and that will delete it. Feel free.
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